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Fire At Transitional Shelter Sends Residents Right Back On The Streets

DENVER (CBS4) - A transitional shelter apartment building went up in flames Thursday morning in the Five Points neighborhood of Denver, leaving residents struggling for a place to stay.

The fire broke out just after 4 a.m. in the 2400 block of Welton Street.

Seven people were displaced by the fire, but everybody made it out. One man living in the basement unit was transported to the hospital in serious condition but is expected to survive.

"I felt the door and I could feel a little heat, I couldn't see anything but I could feel a little bit of heat. So I took a chance, opened the door, and the smoke just engulfed us, it was just black smoke, we couldn't see," said resident Jeff Wakeland, who managed to escape. "We had our phones on but we really couldn't see anything. It was just black smoke and we found our way to the stairs and I finally found my wife in the hallway, thank God, and we ran outside."

apartment fire
(credit: CBS)

The building is a transitional housing unit for the homeless run by an international organization called the Catholic Worker which runs through donations and volunteers.

"I lost all her (daughter's) medicine, she's got an ear infection, we lost all our clothes," resident Kayla Trumble said. "I have shoes now, somebody gave me some shoes, but she has no shoes, we only have what's on our back."

Making matters worse for Trumble and her family is that she's 18 weeks pregnant. She has been looking for a place to live since last May and moved into the Catholic Worker house Wednesday night.

"It's just hard trying to find housing, and then we find this place and it's really cool last night, and it's almost like walking into a home and comforting," Trumble said.

Tumble said for the first time in a while she slept well, and then just after 4 a.m. the fire broke out and people living there had about two minutes to get out before the entire backside of the building became engulfed. The Denver Fire Department quickly jumped into action.

"When they arrived on scene they saw that the fire was actually on the whole second floor of the building," Lt. Mike Pylar with the Denver Fire Department said.

The Red Cross is assisting and will provide shelter. RTD is also assisting and sent a bus to the scene for people to warm up in.

Flames were no longer visible as of 5:30 a.m., but firefighters continued to work the building.

One block north of the scene is light rail station, which was affected by the fire. Those trying to make their way south into town had to get off at the 25th and Welton station and get on a "bus bridge" to take to the next stations along California.

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